2014 Echézeaux Grand Cru

According to technical director Jerome Flous, grape maturity was higher in 2014 than in 2013 but lower than in 2012 He finds strong floral and spice elements in the 2014s as well as a sucrosité that “can sometimes be overwhelming” (he described it as “honey-sweet”) But he also finds that the 2014s have more energy and tension than the two previous vintages, and that the tannins, although not totally ripe, bring a lot of freshness “The wines have length and minerality, and their concentration is high, which holds the wines very nicely,” he noted “The risk is that we’re likely to see the wines shutting down rather soon, and they might stay like that for quite some time That’s often a characteristic of a great vintage”

According to technical director Jerome Flous, grape maturity was higher in 2014 than in 2013 but lower than in 2012. He finds strong floral and spice elements in the 2014s as well as a sucrosité that “can sometimes be overwhelming” (he described it as “honey-sweet”). But he also finds that the 2014s have more energy and tension than the two previous vintages, and that the tannins, although not totally ripe, bring a lot of freshness. “The wines have length and minerality, and their concentration is high, which holds the wines very nicely,” he noted. “The risk is that we’re likely to see the wines shutting down rather soon, and they might stay like that for quite some time. That’s often a characteristic of a great vintage.”

"We view 2014 as a great red wine vintage for those who kept yields down," said Bernard Hervet, who will continue to provide advice to the Faiveley family after ending his full-time involvement with the family's operations at the end of 2015."The thick skins of the grapes protected against rot and the summer rains," he added. Faiveley began harvesting on September 11 with potential alcohol in the 12% to 12. 5% range; most of the wines were lightly chaptalized. Technical director Jerome Flous noted that all of the estate's grand crus were picked right before the rain on the 19th, and that there was some dilution of the grapes after that precipitation. The grand crus and most of the premier crus were still in barrels at the time of my November tasting. Interestingly, noted Flous, analytically the 2014s are very close to the '13s."And they're very easy to drink." Hervet added that "2014 is 2007 plus plus, while 2013 is 2008 plus plus."